Forsta AP Fonden Increases Holdings in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Forsta AP Fonden raised its position in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 26,300 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $6,860,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 70,278 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $18,330,000 after buying an additional 2,836 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 175,458 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $45,763,000 after acquiring an additional 1,455 shares in the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the second quarter worth about $502,000. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 577.2% during the second quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 48,902 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $12,755,000 after buying an additional 41,681 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 11.5% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 726 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $189,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMC opened at $280.38 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $37.05 billion, a PE ratio of 39.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.67. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $296.02 and a 200-day moving average of $280.56. Vulcan Materials Company has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $311.74.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The construction company reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.72 by $0.12. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.52% and a return on equity of 12.81%. The company had revenue of $2.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.28 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.22 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 10th. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 23.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 4,853 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.63, for a total value of $1,434,692.39. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 41,485 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,264,210.55. This represents a 10.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP David P. Clement sold 698 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.56, for a total value of $208,394.88. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $845,521.92. This represents a 19.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 11,369 shares of company stock valued at $3,343,456 over the last three months. 0.62% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VMC. Stifel Nicolaus set a $327.00 price objective on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $315.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $303.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Vulcan Materials from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $317.58.

About Vulcan Materials

Vulcan Materials Company, together with its subsidiaries, produces and supplies construction aggregates primarily in the United States. It operates through four segments: Aggregates, Asphalt, Concrete, and Calcium. The company provides crushed stones, sand and gravel, sand, and other aggregates; and related products and services that are applied in construction and maintenance of highways, streets, and other public works, as well as in the construction of housing and commercial, industrial, and other nonresidential facilities.